As reported yesterday in Velo News, and relayed by Silicon Valley Business Journal, Amgen Tour of California cycling stage race organizers are planning for some changes next year. The tour dates are expected to be moved to mid-May, rather than February as in past years. This is hoped to make better weather more likely, bringing more spectators out to the course. The likelihood of warmer weather will also make it possible to take the race into the Sierras, where more substantial climbs await. It’s not clear if opening more territory to the tour will make it harder for San Jose, which has hosted a stage start or finish for at least two years running, to secure a spot on the itinerary.

The new date would also put the California race on the same dates as the Giro d’Italia, the biggest race on the European calendar after the Tour de France. This isn’t expected to reduce the field of possible headline teams for the California tour, since teams contending for the Tour de France typically skip the Giro anyway, and Amgen organizers apparently hope to bring some of those teams over for a less strenuous event.